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  • From: Roots Farm & Karen Sutherland <rootsfarm AT cwdom.dm>
  • To: Market Farming Community <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] GMO's
  • Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:45:31 -0400

As the ongoing discussion demonstrates there are so many issues involved in assessing GMO's.  Even evaluating the "facts" and "factoids" such as:

whether GMO's raise or lower yields (and under what conditions)
  whether GMO's add risk of contaminating nonGMO crops (and under what conditions)
whether GMO's will decrease or increase use of potentially toxic chemicals
whether GMO's will ultimately be positive or negative for food supply/security
whether GMO's can be adequately tracked and identified to minimize risk of allergic reactions for consumers
and so many more important questions
 
makes it vitally important to ask who controlled the generation, presentation and publication of the underlying research and did they stand to gain from it?  Can results, even if fairly generated and presented, be validly extended beyond the specific tests done?

But to me, the even bigger questions are not the huge and difficult questions of the "facts, " but  questions of underlying values, such as:

Does the boost to short-term profit, maybe even survival of a specific farmer or corporation, offset risk to long-term survival?
Who should bear the risk and the potential liability should GMO's prove hazardous (whether by use or possible misuse)-- the people who made, use and profit from their use or everyone else, consenting or not?
Does any one have the right to own & control the food supply and make potentially irrevocable decisions for the rest of us?
On what side should one choose the chance of error, on the side of prove that it's harmful or prove that it's safe?

I love this list and thank you, thank you Liz for making it possible.

All best wishes,

Karen
Zone 10+

Roots Farm
Organic Produce
Fruits, Roots, Vegetables & Herbs
CockraneDOMINICA
767-449-3038




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